Archived: Victory Social Care Enterprise

This inspection took place on 9 and 15 June 2016 and was announced. The registered provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The service was last inspected April 2014 and was found to be compliant with the regulations inspected at that time.

At the time of the inspection five people receiving a regulated activity [personal care] from the registered provider.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff had completed training in a number of areas including safeguarding vulnerable adults, moving and transferring people and medicine management. However, not all staff had completed first aid or fire training which meant they did not have the skills to respond effectively in emergency situations.

New staff were inducted in line with national standards and received supervision and professional development. People were supported to eat a diet of their choosing and encouraged to eat a healthy, balanced diet. A range of healthcare professionals such as GP’s, community nurses and physiotherapists were involved in the care and treatment of the people who used the service. People were supported to attend healthcare appointments, when required.

People who used the service were safe. Staff, who had been recruited safely were been trained to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm. Known risks were managed to ensure people were supported safely. Staff had been trained to administer medicines safely and regular checks were completed by senior staff to ensure any issues were identified.

People were supported by caring staff who understood their needs and delivered care in line with their preferences. Staff understood their responsibilities to treat people with dignity and respect as well as helping them to maintain their independence. Private and sensitive information was stored and handled appropriately.

People or their appointed representative were involved with the initial planning and on-going delivery of their care. Care plans and risk assessments were updated as people’s needs changed. The registered provider’s complaints policy was provided to people at the commencement of the service. We saw evidence complaints were responded to appropriately and action was taken to improve the service when possible.

People who used the service, their relatives and staff, were asked to provide feedback about the service and their responses were acted upon to improve the level of service. A quality assurance system was in place that consisted of audits and checks; the systems were adequate but if the service were to grow a more scheduled and consistent approach to quality monitoring would be required. The registered provider was involved in the day to day running and management of the service.

We found staff had a comprehensive knowledge of the person's needs. The person who used the service told us, 'The staff are very good, they always arrive.' The person's relative told us, 'I am very happy with the service.'

Members of staff demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities in terms of safeguarding people from abuse and communicated a genuine desire to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people who used the service. We asked one person who received care if they felt safe, they told us, 'Yes, I do; very safe. No problems at all.'

We asked members of staff about the staffing levels; one said, 'Yes, I think the staffing is adequate to meet people's needs and support them with activities and daily living tasks.'

We found audits were not completed by the manager and senior staff, including: infection control; health and safety; care planning; and medication.

We saw people's support plans were kept in an unsecured cardboard box in the provider/registered manager's office which was based in the unlocked front room of their house.